Dave Horvath
4 Aug 2007 10:52
Once again the Japanese powerhouse Nintendo has become the leading console in Japan. Information released about July's sales figure show the Wii outselling its rival, the Sony PS3 by a margin of 4 to 1. Nintendo sold 396,752 in the five weeks comprising July compared to a scant 91,987 units by the PS3.
Even though the PS3 is loaded with superior technology, a Blu-ray player, it has remained behind the Nintendo Wii in sales since each of their respective launches. High pricing and a lackluster library of games can ultimately be blamed for the difference.
In June, the ratio of sales put the Wii on top of the PS3 6 to 1. Nintendo said that its quarterly profit has more than tripled due to outrageous demand for the Wii as well as the DS handheld unit. This in affect raised their annual profit forcast substantially. One obvious selling point is the fact that the Wii sells for less than half of the basic PS3 unit in Japan. A mere 25,000 yen ($209.90) can give you all the motion-sensing action of a Wii.
The battle, however isn't two sided. The third major player in the 30 billion dollar video game market is Microsoft's Xbox 360. This unit has struggled to grip Japanese gamers and comes in a distant third place with a mere 17,970 units sold in July.
Source:
Reuters